“In short, by its own actions, Georgia Right to Life ruptured its relationship with National Right to Life.
National Right to Life and its affiliates seek to restore legal protection for all unborn children from the moment of their conception. Until the Supreme Court allows broad protections for unborn children, we work to protect as many children as possible by passing the strongest possible laws at the state and federal level. That legislative strategy has helped save millions of lives – and continues to save lives today.”

As we have mentioned before on Peach Pundit, Georgia Right To Life has sought to become the sole seal of approval for Republican candidates in the primary. Those who disagree, even by a small bit, are smeared and said to be anti-life because they don’t have the blessings of GRTL. Their pursuit of perfection has destined them to isolation from people who would agree and work to advance the cause.

Other conservative organizations who choose similar tactics should take heed.

“It’s a tragedy that a pioneering, highly successful pro-life organization is considered unworthy to remain affiliated with National Right to Life (NRLC),” Becker said. “It’s especially hard to understand, since GRTL has accomplished so much.”

NRLC voted today to replace GRTL’s membership with a newly-formed group that claims it can do a better job of carrying out NRLC’s goals and objectives.

Becker pointed out that NRLC’s stated mission is to: “…protect and defend the most fundamental right of humankind, the right to life of every innocent human being from beginning of life to natural death.”

GRTL Vice President Mike Griffin noted that, “GRTL has been highly effective in carrying out NRLC’s mission by electing rock solid pro-life candidates and directing NRLC’s flagship legislative initiatives in Georgia: the Woman’s Right to Know Act and most recently, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.”

Other national groups recognize Georgia’s premier pro-life status. Americans United for Life listed Georgia second in its 2013 “All Star” ranking, and has included the state in the top 15 “most protective” states since 2007—reaching as high as 8th.

Looks like it got down to a political definition of “All” for the pro-lifers.
Most voters are not at the “no exceptions” or “no restrictions” extreme of either life or choice.
Our candidates are going to have to run this gauntlet without their current hesitation.

In my world I’d draw the line in the sand on the pro-life side of those that choose to use abortion as a “normal” means of birth control, which is probably most abortions. I’d also stop public funding but use public dollars to support orphanages in lieu of recycling children with druggie, abusive parents.

It is tough situation….so much development happens at a young age….not only do the kids need help if you get them out of the enviorment…..not enough people really qualified If they can help…..very sad situation….no easy answers….

why shouldn’t “life of the mother” include her mental health in cases of rape or incest?
isn’t it also sensible that such victims would need more time, or have other issues, which prevent them from early non-surgical termination or other treatment?

It will be interesting to see if the new group can build the membership base that GRTL has and which makes its endorsement so important in the GOP primaries. Also, while certain people in GRTL have made, let’s just call them “unwise” statements, the relationships people like Mike Griffin and his team have built over the years in the legislature will be hard for any new group to simply sweep away.

If you look back on Sadie Fields disassociating with the National Christian Coalition a decade ago, the National Chapter’s attempt to start a new state chapter after Sadie took her group and left was, for years, almost a non-starter, and still the organization does not have the leverage Sadie’s organization had. I think both have been replaced with Ralph Reed’s new organization.

As for Erick’s group or GRTL, as long as they are not advocating for the fluoridation of water, I could care less.

The members of the old group were instrumental in trying to pass off SB 167 as “anti-Common Core”, when it was really about personhood and not teaching evolution in schools.

GRTL isn’t about “life” anymore. It’s about anything Becker and Griffin find personally offensive to their individual belief system, which they too often confuse and espouse as the literal word of God.

I have yet to hear Erick mention SB 167 as a primary motive for needing a new state right to life organization. There were a lot of organizations that teamed together to support SB 167. Also, I remembered reading an article in the MDJ regarding Mike Griffin and Common Core and reviewing it, during the debate, Griffin was opposing Common Core as the lobbyist for the Southern Baptist Convention, not GRTL. http://mdjonline.com/bookmark/24696311-Common-Core-bill-debated-in-Georgia-House

Can’t find anything online with Becker and Common Core, but I only went through the first two pages of Google results.

It’s about various spheres of influence, using different names and different organizations, being the same people meeting in the same rooms, with the sole desire to put their personal imprint on power or maintain their own personal fiefdom.

Look at much of the public pushback on this issue. It’s the same people who have long believed they controlled the “establishment” via the process such as GRTL endorsements, not balking that the “establishment” is trying to take away their seat at the table.

It’s not about GRTL by name. It’s about the people, their methods, and their agendas.

Right, it is about various spheres of influence. There is no doubt that the same people in Georgia politics control their areas by being influential in numerous organizations with like-minded issues. And you are right that a sort of bubble forms that they live in because of the political incest in all of these groups forms a choir that each member of takes turns preaching to.

However, because your choir doesn’t like their choir doesn’t mean that adding a choir like theirs will necessarily be able to compete on the touring circuit they have already been playing for year. In fact, history would indicate that it won’t. This may buck the trend, but once again, it will take a full on boycott by the elected officials of GRTL. That in itself would be unprecedented, and not likely to happen. It would almost take the Speaker threatening to send any House member who works with GRTL to a new office in a broom closet (and the Lt. Gov. doing likewise), to kill the organization and allow a competitor to rise and replace it.

I’m aware of Erick’s affiliation with GLA and am now aware of a couple of more friends (with strong past pre-Becker GRTL history) now working to organize GLA. I have yet to make any public comment about the role or effectiveness of the new group. My point all along has been GRTL via lies and abuse has long lost their moral authority to lead. Having no group would do less harm. It’s up to GLA to prove they carry the mantle that GRTL long ago abandoned.

The effectiveness or non-effectiveness of GLA will only be known in time. As someone who is not a member of GRTL and haven’t been for many, many years, but have been through some of these other battles I mentioned above, it will be interesting to see if GLA ends up a flash in the pan or if they can take down GRTL by attracting a significant amount of GRTL’s membership base, which is where the power of the organization really is found.